Local religious salience, not specific denominational mix, drives media quoting of clergy

Evidence

We found that state-level religious salience scores were associated with an increase in the likelihood of news articles including any religious authority as a quoted claimsmaker in discussions about Muslims or Islam. This may be due to overall high religiosity in America and the diversity of faiths across the country (Merino, 2010). In other words, specific religious demographics (i.e., Evangelical Protestant vs. mainline Protestant) may matter less for media use of religious claimsmakers than the overall religious salience in the area. — Emily Greene-Colozzi, Amy Adamczyk, and Senahan Kiyal Keles, Differences in Religious Framing of…, 73

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: religiosity as ambient weather rather than brand — why journalists reach for any pastor when the surrounding county is churchy, regardless of which denomination dominates.